There is a well recognized need for the safest possible firing mechanisms for firearms of all types, whether handguns, rifles, shotguns, BB or pellet guns, etc. Previous attempts to solve the various problems involved seem to begin from the point of view that all firearms are to remain "armed" and in a state of functional readiness at all times, even when not in actual use. Safety features have been mostly viewed as "add-ons" which should not interfere with the firearm's primary purpose.
A need exists for a simple and inexpensive apparatus which will allow the user to maintain a firearm's firing mechanism in a completely neutralized state until such time the firearm is actually intended for use, at which time the firearm may be caused to functions quickly and easily.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 875,469(Tambour); 905,020(Tambour); 2,945,316(Mulno); 4,067,132(Smith); 4,135,320(Smith); 4,154,014(Smith); and 4,730,537(Matzagg et al) disclose firearm locking devices which all operate to disable the normal functioning of a firing mechanism by either blocking or otherwise locking up the movement of various internal parts of a firearm. U.S. Pat. No. 4,682,435(Heltzel) discloses a remotely-controlled electronic device which operates to physically disconnect and then re-connect the firearm's mechanical linkage between the trigger and the hammer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,672,763(Cunningham) discloses an emergency device which physically disconnects the hammer spring of an armed and ready firearm via the movement of a non-removable stop member, after which the user must take off the grip covers and manually reassemble the internal hammer spring assembly in order to make the firearm functional once again.